Prospect Info: 2022 8OA, Marco Kasper

[OldnotDeadWings]

this isn't true. gniwder had been calling for him to go back down from his first game in detroit

That's funny, but also not quite true. Gniwder made up his mind about Kasper 10 games into his AHL rookie season and has doubled down on his negative take every opportunity since.

 

[jkutswings]

Is there a minor league forum we can demote Gniwder to so he can learn how to understand hockey better?

Unfortunately Grand Rapids hung up on me and calls to Toledo keep disconnecting. Apparently trades require mutual interest.

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

Unfortunately Grand Rapids hung up on me and calls to Toledo keep disconnecting. Apparently trades require mutual interest.

We can send him to the LNAH.

 

[Michael Brand Eggs]

We can send him to the LNAH.

They would say le NAH.

 

[RRhoads]

Kasper has been good all season even though he wasn't putting up points in the beginning.

 

[Rzombo4 prez]

One thing that I've been wondering about with Kasper right now is what role he's best suited for long term.

I think it would be easy to say that Raymond and Larkin are carrying him right now and that they're driving his point surge. I actually really don't feel that way though. Instead I think he just gels with them perfectly. They compliment each other very well in some regards, but I think what drives their synergy is the similarity in their tenacity and work ethics. It really makes it so there's nowhere to escape to and anytime one of them pressures someone into a mistake, another is ready to punish it. It's relentless.

I really think that he could be a great work-horse, piano puller for Raymond for a long time. But we also could really use him as a defensively responsible 2C. If he can produce even half as well as this, and play good defense on the second line, I think that fills a bigger need for the team. We can find a lot of guys to produce next to Raymond and Larkin-and a lot of them might be more naturally skilled than Kasper, DBC for example.

So if you're looking at Kasper as a ~70 point 1W that helps do the dirty work for Raymond or a ~50 point 2C that plays solid shutdown hockey, which do you prefer? Let's keep him on the top line for now to build some confidence, but where do you want him long term?

His natural position is center, Whether he ends up playing more wing than center long-term will likely turn on how he stacks up against our other center options. It is way too early to draw any hard and fast conclusions about him. All you can really say is that age 20 (or whatever) he can play further up the lineup at wing than center, which is completely normal.

 

[14ari13]

Not that I recall. Kasper was mostly getting low minutes as the 3C or 4C.

I don't remember. I believe he was put there either 3-4 games before or after Mclellan overtook.

I was probably the loudest on this board to send Kasper down or give him a 1-2 games break.

 

[Coach Reggie Dunlop]

I think the questions of if kasper will be a long term center to be silly. It’s like 50 games into his NHL career. Larkin learned from Z his rookie season as a winger and we see how that turned out as he’s a great center now. I assume they do the same thing with Kasper right now. Let him learn from the top C while he’s young then let him develop and earn his time as a center down the road. I’d be shocked if the red wings brass didn’t expect kasper to be playing center a few years from now. That’s what they drafted him for.

 

[DanielMarois]

Looking at Kasper's draft class, other than Cooley not sure I would pick anyone else over him. Wings 1st round picks have been phenomenal.

 

[Henkka]

This has really been the craziest month for any prospect I've have ever watched.

- First of all, on Lalonde days, I was like, yes we have Darren Helm on the making, fast skater who will never score.

- Then, after some games at the 1st line, oh well, we have Abdelkader on the making, he is doing those grindy things and getting goals bounced from his body. But I did not see assists or creative plays.

- Then, after some assists and great creative plays, yeah, maybe we have some Tyler Bertuzzi on the making, as a faster version. that's a heck of a player.

And as long as this will go, I can't anymore stop imaging, that his ceiling could be at Matthew Tkachuk -level.

This is just f***ing insane and lovely thing happening, and seeing it.

I just love Marco Kasper.

 

[RabidBadger]

this isn't true. gniwder had been calling for him to go back down from his first game in detroit

To be fair, there were several posters disappointed with that first game he played with a ****ing broken knee cap. I don't care to spoil my pleasant buzz to look them up and call them out. Half of them are probably on my ignore[ant] list anyway.